PF puts blame on privatization with no human face for Street Vending

The Ruling Patriotic Front (PF) Secretary General Davies Mwila has said Street Vending phenomenon that Zambia has can be traced largely to a mismanaged privatization of the country’s companies, including ZCCM, the country’s largest mining conglomerate and major foreign exchange earner at the time.

In a statement made available to the media, the PF SG said that there was no debate that privatization created massive unemployment and poverty among Zambians, especially on the Copperbelt Province, without providing mitigation measures to address the unemployment and poverty that would immediately result in its aftermath.

“But let us not forget that the root cause was a privatization exercise that had no human face – it produced a few millionaires and millions of poor people. Today, some from the few millionaires it produced want to lecture us on the rights of the street vendors?,” Mr Mwila asked.

Mr Mwila went on to to say that the few individuals who were active privatization participants and beneficiaries had retained no moral right to talk about the rights of the street vendors because they benefitted from privatization and became millionaires when millions of Zambians became poorer , and today must not pretend to be champions of street vendor’s rights

On 10th January 2018, I issued a directive to the Provincial leadership in Central Province to discipline PF Kabwe Central Member of Parliament Hon Tutwa Ngulube over what was becoming an unacceptable trend to attack the Party and Government.

This became an issue because all Party officials, including anyone elected on the Patriotic Front ticket and those nominated by the Republican President Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who also is our Party President, have a duty to protect the image and integrity of the Party at all times.

The Patriotic Front has sufficient space within its internal structures for members to express themselves, including putting any grievance before the relevant organ for appropriate action or response. This space is for robust engagement and expression of oneself without restraint. It however becomes a problem when Party officials, members, including elected and nominated Members of Parliament to bring the name of the Party into disrepute in public and especially using hostile media. That level of indiscipline shall not be tolerated by the Party. We are demanding for maximum discipline in 2018 building up to 2021.

Considering the above, the Hon Member for Kabwe Central wrote a letter of apology to the Party over his conduct. A meeting was convened, and his apology was accepted by the Party. We therefore look forward to a new beginning with Hon Ngulube, putting all actions of the past in the past. We are a listening Party and always ready to nurture leadership as it emerges. In the spirit of building Hon Ngulube and the Party in Kabwe, we have resolved to lift the sanctions imposed on him by the Provincial leadership with immediate effect.

Let me make it very clear that the Party leadership supported the decision that had been taken by the Provincial leadership and would have called for stiffer sanctions. We look forward to a new and healthy working relationship between Hon Ngulube and the Party in the Province and at National level as well as cooperating more with his fellow Patriotic Front Parliamentarians in the House in driving the Party agenda.

Let me turn to another issue which remains of great importance to the Patriotic Front – Street vending. Today, Zambia has a phenomenon called street vending and this can be traced largely to a mismanaged privatization of the country’s companies, including ZCCM, the country’s largest mining conglomerate and major foreign exchange earner at the time. There is no debate that privatization created massive unemployment and poverty among our people, especially on the Copperbelt Province. Privatization had no mitigation measures to address the unemployment and poverty that would immediately result in its aftermath. We witnessed hundreds of our citizens moving from Copperbelt Province to Lusaka in search of new economic opportunities over 20 years ago. Majority of these found themselves on the streets of Lusaka selling merchandize as street vendors. This is not a new phenomenon for Zambia, its been building up over the years. But let us not forget that the root cause was a privatization exercise that had no human face – it produced a few millionaires and millions of poor people. Today, some from the few millionaires it produced want to lecture us on the rights of the street vendors? These are individuals who were active privatization participants and beneficiaries and they retain no moral right to talk about the rights of the street vendors. Those who benefitted from privatization and became millionaires when millions of Zambians became poorer must not pretend to be champions of street vendor’s rights!

Let me assure our street vendors and traders that the Patriotic Front has workable and sustainable plans for them. We are working on creating permanent and clean alternative places for them to trade. Patriotic Front, through the Ministry of Local Government has announced immediate to long term plans in this regard and these are workable. We shall not leave our traders behind. They are a critical component of why Patriotic Front exists as a pro-poor Party.

Let me conclude by emphasizing that we are ready to grow the informal sector, which includes street vendors and traders, create economic opportunities for our people and therefore a wider tax base – wider tax base with lowered taxes is our commitment to the Zambian people. Zambia is a land with promise, purpose and destiny and Patriotic Front can assure Zambians in the informal sector, the street vendors and traders, that they are crucial partners on this journey of hope for a better Zambia, without leaving anyone behind.

Chipante-pante indeed. These PFools have lost it, blaming everyone else than themselves. I know where this is going, next we will hear that its HH’s fault. HH please do a Tiyali, if they mention your name take them to court dont even waste time. It’s about time these PFools took responsibility

He still has NOT answered some of which in my eyes are very simple questions which he seems to have stuttered at perpetually.
I am not accusing him at all, how dare of me to.
I am merely reminding the public that, there is some questions he has not answered apart from ‘ It was not me’ and I did not…

I do not remember HH being Republican President to make DECISIONS on privatization. If he was a “participant” consultant etc then he is so powerful to have convinced the government then to privatize ZCCM and if he is that powerful then thats the man i would like to be republican President

Ba Mushota, since when did an individual make self decisions about privatization? You are talking about an exercise decided collectively obviously by appointed board. If any has a viable case against him, its important to take it up with investigative wings and the courts of law.

He does not follow the history of nationalisation and its negative impact on the economy from 1968 to 1991.The first MMD government must be commended because what is going on now is due to the measure it took.They risked popularity but went ahead for the sake of poor Zambians.It is being unappreciative by making such a statement!!

When Lo.rd Palmerston, Pri.me Minister of Eng.land in the mid 19th Century was petitioned by the Scot.tish Clergy to appoint a day of fasting and prayer to vert the cholera, He replied, ” cleanse and disinfect your streets and houses, promote cleanliness and healthy among the poor and see that they are plentifully supplied with good food and raiment, and employ right sanitary measures generally, and you will have no occasion to fast and pray. Nor will the lord hear your prayers while these, his preventives, remain unheeded”.

This strategy would have created Zambian billionaires because some would have exchanged their pensions for stock in the companies together with new stock issues would have recapitalized nearly all Zambian Enterprises only needing a few foreign investors.

No, no, no … Penza and Hakainde couldn’t listen. They wanted white investors not Zambian investors … rumor has it that Anglo American by then had brided FTJ and Ayatollah and there was no going back.

But guess what, the privatization process in Zambia started at the same time the Russian privatization started.

Boris Yetsin did exactly what we advised FTJ to do and he produced over 30 Russian Billionaires and countless millionaires and Zambia only created a few millionaires, Ayatollah Chief among them.

So, when Mwila makes the reference above, he’s right and Ayatollah has no right to lecture a government trying to solve a problem he was eager to help create because he saw an opportunity to deeply unpatriotically enrich himself.

Another strategy used by an incompetent leadership is to shift the blame onto past administrations. When was privatization again? And, because of the mistakes made during privatization, our country is now beyond fixing? The city experienced an outbreak of Cholera because it’s dirty. It’s dirty because the government is not doing it’s job with regard to sanitation. The street vendors are rioting because you suddenly pulled the rug from under their feet, forgetting that you are taking away their only means of livelihood without giving them a substitute. This exposes your lack of timing. Every country has street vendors, including developed ones. The only difference is, street vendors in developed countries are well organized and trade in a clean environment, because the government…

(Continued)… regulates that. Keeping the city clean, and regulating street vending in Zambia has little to nothing to do with privatization which happened eons of years ago. Lastly, if the Zambian people wanted historians in government offices, to only be there to remind them of past blunders made by previous administrations, they would’ve voted for history teachers. They put you in office to FIX the problems—including cleaning up the mess left behind by previous administrations—and not to give history lectures to excuse your incompetence. So fix the problems or just admit that you don’t know what you’re doing.

@Proper Jay, So one man HH a private citizen sold all the mines while the govnmt was watching, then this guy is a genius, If he lived in the UK the Queen would have knighted him for such, Surely if HH did something wrong he would have been in prison by now, but knowing that PF is full of thick people like you and EL, You would believe everything PF is a s.hole party.

Notable people who handled privatisation in Zambia:
The chief executive of ZPA, Valentine Chitalu, he was also a Director of ZCCM. Mr. Willa Mung’omba, a member of the ZCCM Privatisation Negotiating Team, was also Director of ZCCM.
Francis Kaunda,the chairman of the ZCCM negotiating team who was appointed over the heads of the ZPA Members, was also former chairman and chief executive of ZCCM.Mr Abel Mukandawire was chairman ZPA.
Mr Luke Mwananshiku,Mr Edward Shamutete,Mr Kaunda Lembalemba – Minister of Mines,Mr Enoch Kavindele – Minister of Commerce,Mr R Penza – Minister of Finance,Mr Lewis Preston – Former president of World Bank. iNCLUDING THE PRESIDENT CHILUBA AND MORE CABINATE MINISTERS SUCH AS THE LATE SATA
Mr Bwalya Ngandu ZIC 1998 Budget Speech on privatization (this is to…

Iwe chikla when was HH in government to sell government property? Why do you avoid the MMD guys PF is in bed with right now to explain what they did if your interest is history lessons? PF founder MCS was the right-hand man of Chiluba during the privatization process. Why haven’t we heard Mwila calling MCS all sorts of names? This selective blame is obviously not objective. It is cheap propaganda. In any case, if there was reckless privatization over 2 decades ago, why should that still be an excuse for keeping Lusaka dirty. These are the same people who will still blame colonialists for our problems 53 years after independence.

Chipante-pante indeed. These PFools have lost it, blaming everyone else than themselves. I know where this is going, next we will hear that its HH’s fault. HH please do a Tiyali, if they mention your name take them to court dont even waste time. It’s about time these PFools took responsibility

How much time does PF need? PF lacks consultation, honesty and commitment. We don’t sort out a problem while creating another. People must get back to work. Holding them in homes in the name of cholera will create other problems.

Lets manage all situations than to give a blind eye to other problems.

The response from Mr Mwila is misplaced. Privatization took place a long time ago and PF has been in power for some time. We need leadership to provide solutions and not blaming others. The moral way to shut up criticizers is to provide the much needed solutions.

In fact, this is what Mr Sata told them, no time for blame games, but I am shocked for a leader to dwell on something in the past.Just clean the streets without complaining, please.Be bold, have a political will without Adamic blames in order to avoid responsibility.

HE TALKS, LOOKS AND WALKS LIKE A CLASSIC DULL COLLECTION OF FLESH AND BONES. HE CAN’T READ THE MOOD IN THE COUNTRY, WHO HAS GOT TIME FOR YOUR HATRED FOR HH. ASK MUGABE HOW IT FEELS TO LET YOUR PEOPLE DOWN

Politicians always don’t want to say the truth. Street vending is wrong yet it is what they kept promising the voters. Now we are here, we are talking of space constraint for our marketeers yet we spend lavishly. A sincere leadership by now should have avoided those fire trucks and built a three storey city market with underground parking space and escalators.

The opposition should come out in the open on street vending.If anything they have contributed a lot to this dirt.The street vending and cleanliness can only end if the opposition and ruling party speak the same language, not making it a campaigning tool!!

Always crying about privatizations they failing to fix it, PF formed the Government in 2011 update still crying for privatizations. When are you going to fix these problems?? You promissed us more jobs and more money in the pockets, we are still waiting more money in the pockets and jobs.

Now PF has started to getting to the grassroots, people who love and believe it so much. Keep it up SG and the people want to see more of our loves President getting back to them and explain his development agenda.
Coming to the issue at hand, very true that anyone who originates from the Copperbelt would agree that before HH destroyed our mines on the Copperbelt, there was nothing like selling on the streets (street vending). The chap went in raped and stole millions of dollars through PRIVITIZATION and sent many of our parents, brothers and uncles to the graves. Those that escaped death resorted to trading on the streets. In search of a better life these same people trekked to Lusaka and hence the massive and unplanned shanties. All this is a creation of HH and today cannot play from…

Contd
… to the gallery. As long as history remains, the people of Lusaka and Copperbelt will never forget and forgive HH for the damage he has caused to Zambia.
The effects of poor handling of PRIVITIZATION are being felt today and the chap wants to blame it on those working day and night to correct things. Lets tellbthe people the truth but at the same time work extremely hard and smart to bring normalcy to our great country. HH is a killer, ask bashi maini. All towns on Copperbelt were developed, clean and vibrant until Ichilema came in and did the damage.

When are these clueless lot going to take responsibility for why they are in government? In case they forgot they are the ones in government and the duty of government is to solve national problems. They want to shift the blame to someone else who is not in control of the national coffers. 20 years ago, what have they done to correct the situation which has worsened since they came into power?

Speaking of getting richer and few millionaires, the PF leaders came to power with nothing and now they are millionaires. How did they become rich so quickly? Which ‘privatisation’ did they participate in?

Those of us who were old enough and working for the mines know that ZCCM was running at a loss of U$1.0 Million per day cost to the Zambian Govt. It was the World Bank’s decision to dispose off State Owned Enterprises so that Govt can save money for other social and economical needs. Hon. Davies Mwila knows the truth because he was working for MineWorkers Union (ZCCM) at the time. This is just cheap politics.

If the available markets are filled to capacity, let the rest of the vendors go back to the land(village) to till the land. They have the strength to do so.Why should we crowd Lusaka when there’s plenty of land out there wanting and waiting to be cultivated on? Crowding one Town is what brings diseases like cholera. This time the government should put their foot down, no playing games. One year from now we should be patting ourselves on the back that we finally won the fight against the disgusting and unsanitary street vending.

Davies Mwila is a very dull and ignorant PF cadre. Does allocating land for markets need to consult the past? You allocate yourselves plots as thieving politicians, you sale large chunks of land to foreigners at the expense of indigeneous zambians. It is a stupid excuse for Davies Mwila to use privatersation to cover up their failures. We ask you Davies to tell your friends reduce travelling and give people decent accomodation, clean water, clean toilets and decent jobs not nonsense you are talking.

If you can’t solve problems that were, as you rightfully put it, created by privatization you need to step down and let people who can do the job take over. Rather than focusing on the blame game which will not pull our country out of poverty, show us your new game plan.

Hon.Davis Mwila has a very valid point.IF Kainde had a heart for mother Zambia,he could have advised FTJ Chiluba well about not selling all Govnt firms which employed thousands of Zambians.Privatization killed Zambia-period!!in western world,HH cant even dare to rule a country he destroyed on moral grounds!!imagine, if all those firms Kainde and Chiluba sold for a song are still operational today,how many youths could have been in formal employment?A LOT!!
PRIVATIZATION AND TRIBALISM ARE THE MAJOR REASONS WHY I CAN NEVER VOTE FOR KAINDE IN MY LIFE!!DADDY LOST A JOB ON COPPERBELT BECAUSE OF PRIVATIZATION!!

Without privatization most mines and parastatals would have gone bankrupt and workers dismissed without pay. Privatisation was necessary to make workers walk away with something and give a new lease of life to new owners try turn around the business. To blame street vending of today on privatization of 20 years ago is the most stupid thing imaginable.

Njimbu–Really! Where those corporations operational? Your understanding of issues is questionable. They were already bankrupt as the government kept pumping money, which it did not have, in them. Why did the government decide to get rid of them in the first?

Cholera has been there even before the mines were privatised. Don’t tell me that cholera started after privatisation.I can’t believe that this man is a minister taking care of my wealth. Very shallow indeed. Surely such leaders even have supporters. Heeeee. You came into power into 2011 and must have known the consequences of privatisation. What were your plan to address those consequences? I remember Chiluba MHRP asking us at a rally if we were ready to suffer when the mines were about to be privatised and we all said yeeeessss. Don’t tell me that privatisation caused you to buy fire tenders at K1million each. I think these chaps believe that Zambians are dull and can easily be manipulated through such lies. I wish I was not Zambian. To be led by such crap.

Feeling the pressure Davies? Edgar? That’s good. I hope you are learning that leadership is not just slogans, bumper stickers, silly songs from JK, and dancing. It’s serious business. The lives of millions are at stake. It’s time you take you jobs seriously guys. Remember that the blood of every needlessly lost life that results from bad leadership falls squarely on your shoulders. If you won’t be called to account for them in this life, you certainly will be in the next

If HH managed to sell the mines it means the government was full of dunderheads like Davies Mwila to have allowed an individual sell the mines as they looked on. I think this issue about HH selling the mines has grown stale and must be put rest. Pf must stand resolved to address problems the people of Zambia are grappling with currently. If they have failed them be honest and step down and pave way for others to take over. We can continue dwelling on issues of thirty years ago. HH was arrested over a traffic offence what more could it have been for selling the mines?

My heart bleeds that clowns like this one run the affairs of the land I love. Its a reflection of the calibre of the appointing authority. The consolation is that there are a lot competent sons and daughters and sons, but the King Rat prefers those that bootlick than those who can provide realistic and sound advice. The page must sure turn!!

THE PF USED VENDORS AND MARKETEERS TO GET INTO POWER. THEY PROMISED THEM ALL THAT IS ILLEGAL JUST TO GET THE VOTE. FIND SUITABLE PLACES FOR THESE VENDORS NOT IN FRONT OF SHOPS THAT ARE PAYING RENTS, LICENCES. AND RATES. THE TOWNS ARE OVER CROWDED DIRTY AND STINKING. IN AS MUCH AS I SYMPATHISE WITH THESE VENDORS THEY NEED PLACES WITH ENOUGH TOILETS AND HYGIENE TO TRADE FROM

@ Mushota
“There is some questions he has not answered apart from ‘ It was not me’ and I did not…” Your post should been:
(1) There “are” some questions or there is “a” question……
(2) “It was not me’ and I did not” are not questions, but responses.
Boasting that you hold a “PHD” and instead of a PhD.

The best Gvt should have done was to save Usd10m by buying only 32 fire trucks instead of 42. The 10million USD (100billion KWACHA old currency would have been used to clean the towns and construct beautiful trading places for venders.
Cholera is not a new thing to our country, its all about misplaced priorities and the blame game.

Title shoud be PF FORGIVES TUTWA AS STREET VENDING IS BLAMED ON PRIVATIZATION. Well to blame street vending on privatization is just politiking ..it seems PF dont sleep well if they have no bornes to pick with HH eish

Take your tribalism elsewhere. If you read the article carefully, even with an average IQ, you can tell whom Mwila is targeting in his attack. Do you think he means Chitalu, Kaunda, Sata, Chiluba, Mung’omba, Penza or Mkandawire?

PF is always blaming others for wrong things happening. Why are they in govt? They went in there to solve Zambia problems. If they have no ideas, let them call for early elections. When your house is on fire, it is not time to blame others. Focus your energies on putting out the fire. There is stupidity here. Also they call for prayers when house is burning. Let the church call for prayers and not govt. Govt should be on the ground working while church is praying.

The decision to sell the mines was made by the government but HH was hired to do the valuation of the assets of the mines. Chiluba, other government officials and HH formed a syndicate in which HH was instructed to undervalue these assets so that they could get some kickbacks from the buyers of these assets. That’s how people like Francis Kaunda, Valetine Chitalu, HH etc benefited and became wealthy. I’m one of the victims of the privatization. After privatization my father who was a miner that time became a security guard, my siblings and I started vending in the streets of Mufulira in order to earn a livelihood. Most of the miners died of depression. It is for this reason that I believe that HH is linked to the street vending problems today.

Is that what your dad told you? He must be been very powerful in the mine. Those mines were long gone even before privatization. The government was using borrowed me to pay workers. Hence, the country was almost bankrupt.

I thought PF cautioned not to politicize cholera. It seems Ruling Patriotic Front (PF) Secretary General Davies Mwila forgot that. Maybe he also forgot who has been running the country with responsibility for health, sanitation, and commerce these past several years?

While his fellow plunderers are quite , HH wants to behave clever kalulu, we know that’s were he got his riches from (privatusation) while millions Zambians became poor! He should just leave politics because he’s a crook, and there’s nothing he will say that will convince majority Zambians for him to become head of state! He can convince his Tonga tribemen, because they base their choices on tribe not quality!

What is the alternative to street vending, Ba Davies? Interesting….after being pro-poor you are now suggesting that the vendors should move after PF empowered them to take over the streets in return for voting for the party. No wonder they are now turning on you.

“Let me assure our street vendors and traders that the Patriotic Front has workable and sustainable plans for them. We are working on creating permanent and clean alternative places for them to trade.” There you have it. The PF has workable plans for the street vendors which will crystallize just before 2020 for implementation in 2021! Lol…

HH was not president but he was mandated to evaluate asserts on behalf of govnt which he did not do well apart from him got rich out of a job he was tasked to do and many zambians today are suffering because of him not being honest ,in life you dont become rich overnight unless you ar a satanist or a thief ,plunder i strongly feel one of the two hh his and so telling him to be quit its just with the limit

“Protect the image and integrity of the Party at all times”. This is not the right order in a Christian Nation. God comes first, second the people of Zambia and third, the Party. The duty of member of parliament is to represent the people of Zambia first, then second a party. A person who puts his party above Zambian people is not worthy any thing, but is selfish and greed. Mr. Mwila should first look at his eyes and his party before he condemns other parties; look at Zambia Railways after injecting in Euro money, ZAMTEL is a disaster, so is ZESCO etc. Privatization may have worked if good measures were put in place. Also, if national companies were run profitably it could have worked. Mr. Mwila, stop blaming the past and start fixing the problems. All past governments and current have…

Let’s not downplay the privatization issue. HH may or may not have done what he is accused of. HH himself has always denied this for lack of proof, challenging his accusers why he has not been indicted. Again, there being no proof that he conducted the privatization business dishonestly to his own selfish benefit does not mean that he didn’t do it. I sincerely want to believe that he didn’t do it. But should evidence come to surface one day, he may have to stand before the Zambian people in court to account for his actions. As Mushota notes, there are unanswered questions. Although privatization was the right thing to do, considering that ZCCM was a sinking ship, something definitely went wrong and this is what somehow is kept in the shadows. But the light of day will one day expose it…

Cholera is a result of dirt. You don’t need the mines to keep yourselves clean. We allowed people to overcrowd themselves in places that did not have sanitation facilitation and dirt kept pilling. The only available toilets in these trading areas were shake shake containers. People would help themselves and dump them in the drainages. These are avoidable problems and there is no coloration between the issue of selling of mines and one not being hygienic. We teach people by helping them change their mindset on how to maintain cleanliness. You are misleading people to think that cholera is as a result of selling the mines and not being clean. Stop, Stop please.

The cause of street vending is that many Zambians are not educated. The other issue is that too much money is held by individuals in office or Chinese companies rather than companies that have capacity to hire Zambians. Until Zambia invests in SME’s and embarks on a vision of tax cuts, there can be no development. The tax code should be simplified, tax on a person earning K36k a year is 0%, we need to define all ranges and avoid pay brackets.

All this high sounding language, accusations and counter accusations (or are they defenses). Doesn’t cholera come from poor sanitation? Who is responsible for this – Cadres or Councils? Cadres have been collecting revenue meant for Councils but do not channel it to providing clean water and improving sanitation. Who controls the cadres that have usurped revenue collection functions of Councils? Mr Mwila, you have a lot of work to do but I wonder whether you have capacity to perform when you attribute your failure to a government programme whose architects (MMD) you have allowed to take over your current government!

Hazaluza and his deceived peoples do not conceptualize this. Under Fives can’t analyze that when their chief got the money and sold off companies such as ZCCM mines they were sold in units and compounds lost the garbage disposal system and the result is one guy got rich and put his money in Panama. We should get it. He needs to pay taxes.

@B R Mumba SR
I have noticed you always fly off a tangent. Where is the link between cholera and privatisation? How do you assert that what happened in the USSR was true for Zambia? This is a fallacy of composition.

You say: “This strategy would have created Zambian billionaires because some would have exchanged their pensions for stock in the companies together with new stock issues would have recapitalized nearly all Zambian Enterprises only needing a few foreign investors.”

How could you create Zambian billionaires as if there was a stock exchange at that time and these parastatals were traded? By 1991, the Zambian economy had basically collapsed riddled with $7bn debt and the whole parastatals system was insolvent, after many years of losses.

Mushota, HH was 28 years at the time privatisation was done. Are telling us that Zambians are so dull that a 28 yr old fella could’ve outsmarted all of us including the good brains that Chiluba had?? When Grevazio interviewed him, he told him to go to ZDA and check records showing who sold the mines. Let’s not embarrass our selves bcoz of hatred & jealous.. Just work hard and smart